January 3, 2000

Global Celebrations Greet 2000

While Friday's television newscasts reduced the world to 25 time zones, the ongoing reports also broadened our awareness of the global effect of the new millennium by showing us glimpses of celebrations from the South Pacific to the Pacific Coast.

Without leaving our homes, it was easy to watch the fireworks in Sydney, listen to the bells in Tokyo, or join the countdown in New York's Times Square. The celebratory wave that moved around the world not only made us aware of the passage of time, but gave us the feeling of participating in a global event. Today, however, we might want to sit back and ask: How did our partying affect the environment?; and How might we react to our heightened sense of global awareness in this new millennium?

The Party's Over: Clean up crews around the world waded through tons of paper, glass, and other litter in many cities. In New York City, an estimated 4 tons of confetti are part of the 30+ tons of trash from the Times Square gathering alone. In London, officials estimate four times the normal amount of garbage with 15% of it consisting of empty champagne bottles.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: In Honolulu, where fireworks are usually banned, there was concern that smoke from the fireworks would linger over the islands, causing pollution and exacerbating respiratory problems. While the fireworks were set off from boats sitting in the ocean, thick smoke obscured a laser light countdown display on Diamond Head. There were later reports of people who suffer from respiratory ailments taking refuge in air-conditioned hospitals.

Paradise Lost?: In Micronesia, where Millennium Island became the first place to greet the year 2000, some scientists believe that global warming is having an effect on this and the other tiny islands that make up Kiribati. Rising sea levels are slowly consuming the islands, causing erosion and putting water supplies at risk.

New Year's Resolutions: The National Audubon Society published a top-10 list of simple things we can do to "improve our planet." What are some things you would put on your own top-10 list?

Happy Birthday
In countries all over the globe there were contests and special prizes for the first baby of the millennium. In Otta, Norway, the town's first baby received $1,500 and diapers for a year. In Korea, the first baby collected an all-expense paid birth, and in Houston, Texas, the lucky first got a college scholarship.

But perhaps the most distinctive babies making their entry into the new millennium were twins who celebrate their birthdays on different dates (in different centuries). Twins born in Seattle, Washington; Enid, Oklahoma; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fairfax, Virginia; and Berlin, Germany, all made their entry with one twin born in the last moments of the last century and the other making its appearance in the first minutes of the new century.